Death of the Phoenix
by HardyzAngel1
Summary: Sequel to Freeze the Flame...It's been 8, drama free, years...Jeff and Paige have just started a new life together...and after all they've been through, and overcome, things can't get any worse than they've already been....or can they?
1. Default Chapter

Yeah…took me long enough, huh? I know that the ages are screwed…but I had to…to make things work like I wanted them to…so…yeah…I don't own Jeff, Amy, or Matt…but I do own Paige, Mercy, and Leila…so…yeah…this is just a bit…I have to finish writing the rest...but I need motivation.. 

Death of The Phoenix

**Prologue:**

**8 Years Later**

"Look, I told you not to worry about it, it'll be fine," Amy said, taking Paige's hands in her own and looking into her blue eyes, "Plus, you look great" Amy smiled, letting go of Paige's hands, Paige turned back around and looked in the mirror, smoothing the long, white wedding gown, it was called Suzanne Neville "Tiger Lily" and was strapless, with an extra long train, Paige smiled at her reflection, "That's the way, smile" Amy said, touching Paige's cheek gently, Paige nodded, only to encourage herself, "You think Jeff is ok?" she asked, looking at the ground, then back up into Amy's hazel eyes, Amy grinned, "He loves you, how many times do I have to remind you of that?" she teased, "I know he loves me, and I love him, that's why we're getting married" Paige reminded herself, but she could only think about Jeff, and what he was doing in the other room..

"Bro, calm down, everything will be ok" Matt said, rubbing Jeff's shoulders, Jeff nodded, "I hope so," he said, "Can't I at least go check on her?" Jeff asked, "No" Matt said sternly, a knock at the door startled the two brothers, and a sweet, young, southern, voice called "Is everyone decent?" Matt began to walk to the door to inspect the intruder, fearing it to be Paige, but he had only taken 2 steps when Jeff called "Yeah, Tigress, c'mon in" sure enough, a 14 year old Mercy, almost Paige's height, with her blonde hair pulled up behind her head, curled, styled, and teased until it looked perfect, and bright green eyes walked in, Jeff smiled at her, "You look beautiful" he said, she was wearing a long bridesmaid's dress that came down to her ankles, it was pale blue and had several super thin straps holding up a ruffled top before it straightened, "Man, I've been poked and prodded so much I feel like a cow or something" she sighed, sitting down in the chair beside Jeff, "Well you look great" Matt said, Mercy smiled, "Have you seen Paige lately?" Jeff asked eagerly, Mercy shook her head, Jeff looked up at Matt, "Oh, alright, if Tiger here will stay with you, I'll go check on Paige" Matt sighed, walking out the door, "Nervous?" Mercy asked, Jeff shrugged "I'm not sure what to feel right now" he said, "Be happy, we get to be a family now" Mercy smiled, "And I want that more than anything else, kiddo" Jeff finished, Mercy looked around the room and wondered what her mother was doing then..

Matt walked into the room that Paige and Amy were in, the two women were standing in front of the mirror, admiring Paige's dress, "Knock knock!"  Matt said, startling Paige and Amy, "Matt, hey" Amy said, turning around and causing her dress float around like a princess, "Wow, Amy, you look…I…" Matt stammered, touching Amy's shoulders and looking down at the dress she was wearing, it was identical to Mercy's, only larger, "Yeah, yeah, she's beautiful, what's wrong?" Paige broke the moment, Matt shook his head and looked at Paige, a small smile spreading across his face, "My little girl's growing up" he said, hugging Paige, "You look gorgeous" he said, kissing her cheek, then backing up and raising his hand to his eye, "Matthew Hardy, are you crying?" Paige asked, "No," Matt lied, "It's just, it seems like yesterday the three of use were playing in the backyard, and now you're marrying my baby brother" Paige hugged him, "I love you, Matt" she said, "I love you too, Paige" he said into her ear, "Thank you for everything, Matt" Paige whispered before she let go of him, the creak of a door broke the three from their trance, and in walked 6 year old Leila, with her wavy, raven hair down to her shoulders and her chocolate eyes she was the very mirror image of her father, she was dressed in a plain white dress down to her ankles with lace at the very bottom, and ruffles on the ends of the short sleeves, "Hi Mommy" she said in her sweet southern accent, "Oh wow baby, you look so pretty" Amy said, kneeling down and running her fingers through Leila's hair, "I'd better get back to Jeff and Mercy before Jeff brings himself over here" Matt smiled, kneeling down beside Amy and kissing his daughter's cheek, "Love you Daddy" she said, smiling up at him as he walked out of the room, Matt almost felt like crying again, she looked like a butterfly, so frail, but yet, so beautiful and strong, she was his butterfly, Matt thought as he walked next door and entered the room, Jeff and Mercy looked deep in conversation, but Mercy stood when Matt walked in, "I have to go check on Mom, then we'll get this show on the road" Mercy smiled and winked at Jeff before walking next door to see her mother..

*-*Wedding Time*-*

The whole ceremony was a blur to Paige, the only things going through her head was her love for Jeff, and how good he treated her and Mercy, and all the things he'd done for them, and how much she loved him, and how they were going to spend their whole lives together, and how much she loved him, and how great everything was going to be now that all the bad was over, and the next thing she knew, she heard the preacher say 'you may now kiss the bride' and Jeff leaned in, with the biggest smile on her face, she kissed her husband, Jeff…her husband, no, nothing could possibly go wrong now..

Muhahahahaha….so…can anything go wrong? Of course it can! But will it? Review, and you shall see!


	2. Secrets, Lies, and Mercy

Chapter 1… oh happiness…again...I don't own anything, except Paige, Mercy, and Leila…so read on...and have fun!

_I came into being as I came into being. I grew as I grew. I changed as I change. My mind is fire, my soul fire. The cobra wakes and spits fire in my eyes. I rise through ochre smoke into black air enclosed in a shower of stars. I am what I have made. I am the seed of every god, beautiful as evening, hard as light. I am the last four days of yesterday, four screams from the edges of the earth—beauty, terror, truth, madness—the phoenix on his pyre._

_In a willow I made my nest of flowers and snakes, sandalwood and myrrh. I am waiting for eternity. I'm waiting for years to pass before I dance on flame, turn this desert to ash, before I rise, waking from gold and purple dreams into the season of god. I will live forever in the fire spun from my own wings. I'll suffer burns that burn to heal. I destroy and create myself like the sun that rises burning from the east and dies burning in the west. To know the fire, I become the fire. I am power. I am light. I am forever. On earth and in heaven I am. This is my body, my work. This is my deliverance._

_--Excerpt from "Becoming the Phoenix", Egyptian Book of the Dead_

_as translated by Normandi Ellis_

Death of the Phoenix

Chapter 1:

Secrets, Lies, and Mercy

Paige poked her head into the training room, scanning it for Jeff, he was there, standing in the middle of the ring, she was about to call out to him, until she saw the blonde girl standing beside him, it was Mercy, Jeff was obviously explaining something to her, by the way Mercy was motioning and nodding her head, Jeff gestured to the turnbuckle and said something inaudible to Paige, and Mercy shook her head, Jeff nodded, and Mercy sighed heavily, Paige tiptoed into the room, closing the door softly so neither of them would hear it, then ducked behind a rack of folding chairs, just within earshot of the ring, "You just...jump?" Mercy asked, looking at the turnbuckle, "Yeah," Jeff said, "You can already do the flip, all you have to do is jump and flip at the same time" "Are you sure?" she asked, biting her bottom lip, "I've been doing this since before you were born, yes, I'm sure," Jeff said, "Try it" "No" Mercy said, "Why not?" Jeff asked, sighing, "Because I'll be killed!" Mercy said, nodding with a 'duh' look on her face, "No you won't" Jeff said, 

"Yes I will!"

 "No you won't" 

"Yes I will"

"No you won't, because I'll catch you" Jeff smiled, Paige smiled too from behind the chairs, the two people she loved most in this world, they were so perfect together, they seemed to balance each other flawlessly, canceling out the negative qualities in each other, she loved them more than anything, and to think, 15 years ago she didn't think happiness on this level was possible, and now she was here, she looked back up at Jeff and Mercy in the ring, "You'll drop me!" Mercy said, "No I won't" Jeff sighed, "Yes you will" Mercy said "You have to trust me" Jeff said, "You'll drop me" Mercy continued, "Trust me, I will not drop you" Jeff said, Mercy let a defeated sigh, "Ok, I trust you, Rainbow" she said, turning and climbing the turnbuckle, perching on top with ease, and looking down at Jeff, "Now jump, and flip, but not all the way" Jeff said, "You'll catch me?" Mercy asked, Jeff nodded, "I won't let you fall" he said, Mercy nodded, stood, and jumped, doing just as Jeff told her, flipping halfway through, but not all the way, and falling perfectly into Jeff's arms, "I told you that you could do it, Tigress" he said, kissing her nose and lowering her feet to the ground, Paige stood and walked to the ring, "That was perfect!" she said, jumping onto the apron and hugging her daughter over the ropes, "Were you watching?" Mercy asked, Paige only laughed, "See, Paige, I told you I'd teach her to Swanton" Jeff smiled, Paige nodded, "Let's go eat, ok?" Paige said, "Matt and Amy and Maddie are waiting" "Food, yummy, let's go Tigress" Jeff said, taking Paige's hand and watching as Mercy ducked through the ropes, "Where are we going?" Mercy asked, "Chili's," Paige said, "You two weren't there, so we decided without you" "Gee, I love you too Mom" Mercy joked, smiling as she ran to the door ahead of her mother and Jeff..  
  
*-*That Night*-*  
  
After the Hardy clan ate supper, they came back to the hotel for some play time, Paige sat on the bed while Jeff and Mercy played the Smackdown game on PlayStation 2, "Who are you going to be Tigress?" Jeff asked, "Well, I know who I'm not going to be" she laughed, knowing Jeff would throw a child-like fit if he didn't get to be himself, Jeff laughed, "I'll be...Matt," Mercy nodded, "Because we all know he can whip you anytime, anywhere" they both laughed again, including Paige this time, "I think she told you, Nero" Paige smiled as Jeff turned around and stuck his tongue out at her, Jeff and Mercy's match had been going on for a few minutes, Mercy and Jeff were being very melodramatic about it, pushing each other and yelling at the TV screen, this kept Paige rolling with laughter, until a knock at the door stopped her, "Paige, hun, can you get the door?" Jeff said between screeches, "Of course" Paige rolled her eyes and stood up, walking to the door and opening it, Paige almost fell backwards at the sight of the young woman at the door, she was taller than Paige, slim and lanky, almost anorexic looking, her jawbone set back and her green eyes sunk into her head, curly, stringy red hair hanging limp around her face, wearing a hot pink shirt that exposed her belly button and short shorts, on her hip sat a baby, no more than 6 months old, a mass of matted red hair on its head, and brown eyes, plump cheeks, legs, and arms, Paige gasped and stumbled back a couple of steps, "D-D-Danni?" Paige stammered, still hearing Jeff and Mercy behind her, the girl nodded, "Danielle, what are you doing here, what's wrong?" she whispered, too low for the others to hear, then looked at the baby on her hip, "You...you had a baby?" Paige smiled at the baby, then brought her eyes to Danielle, "I named her Hannah Jane, God is gracious and merciful" Danielle said, looking up at Paige, then past her, at Mercy, "Is that Ly-" "That's my daughter" Paige said, "Alexiandra Mercedes, God is merciful" "But...I thought that Lyd-" Danielle started, but Paige cut her off with a strong look, "What do you want?" Paige asked, "I hope you didn't come here to bring up the past" "No, well, kind of, we have a problem, Paige" Danielle said, Paige's heart dropped, her eyes pleaded for more information, and feared the worst, "It's about Aaron" she said, Paige almost fell down, her legs were like jelly, "W..w-..what about him?" she stammered, "He...he knows where you are" Danielle said, "Oh God.." was all Paige could manage, "You have to get away for here, Paige, he's going to come after you, I just know it" Danielle reasoned, "I have to stay for a week, for work, I can't leave" Paige said, "He's been talking...he says he's going to 'hit you where it really hurts', I have the feeling he knows more about you than any of us think" she said, "Oh no.." Paige said, "What am I going to do?" she whispered, "I have to go, Chris is expecting me home" Danielle said, hugging Paige, "You be careful, watch your back" Danielle said, "I will, you too girl" Paige said, Danielle turned and began to walk away, "If you ever need anything, just call" Danielle said, "Bye" Paige said, "Bye" Danielle called as she rounded the corner, Paige turned around and went back into the room with a sigh, "Who was that, Paige?" Jeff asked when she sat down, "No one," she lied, "just a salesman" Paige put her head in her hands as she listened to the two playing in the floor, she could only hope that she would be able to protect them from her past.. 

Hahaha….wow…was that fun or what? Just for reference…I know that it's prolly impossible for a 14 year old to do a Swanton…but that's why it's called fiction…right?  
you know the drill…5 reviews then another chapter…


	3. Loss of Innocence

Yah…look at this…another chapter…I know it's short, and I promise the next one will be a lot longer…kk…ooh yeah….someone asked about what happened to Of Frozen Wine and Emerald Eyes, well..someone ::glares at Paige:: didn't like that title…and plus…this was more poetic, to follow with the pattern of Melt the Rain and Freeze the Flame…

I smell a change coming, a shape turning leaves in the wind.

_--Excerpt from "The Bath", Egyptian Book of the Dead_

_ as translated by Normandi Ellis_

*-* 2 Days Later *-*

Since Danielle's visit, Paige had made it a point to keep a close eye on Mercy and Leila, making sure no one could hurt them, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Jeff, Paige, Mercy, Matt, Amy, and Madison were getting ready to go out to eat, all of them were standing in the lobby, fighting about where they were going to go, Paige was sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby, rubbing her temples, Jeff sat beside her, Matt and Amy stood beside them, Mercy was sitting on the small coffee table beside Madison, "Let's just go to Ruby Tuesday's" Amy sighed, giving in to Matt's request, this made Mercy jump, her hands shot to her neck, where she felt for the necklace Jeff had given her for her 14th birthday, realizing she didn't have it on, she jumped to her feet, Jeff looked up, "Where you going Tigress?" he asked, "Oh, I forgot my necklace, I'll be right back" she yelled while running to the elevator, she pushed the button and the door opened, she waved to her mom as the doors closed and called, "If I'm not back in 5 minutes, wait longer!" she smiled, the doors closed and the elevator began to go up, stopping at the 3rd floor, Mercy got out and ran down the hall to their room, opening the door with the key card and rushing in, leaving the door standing open, and walking to her night stand where the necklace lay, "There you are" she said, picking it up and putting it around her neck, snapping the clasp shut as she turned around and stumbled backwards, a man, about 6 foot and well built with brown hair and icy blue eyes, in his right hand he held something, but Mercy couldn't tell what, until she saw it glint in the light, it was a lead pipe, her heart nearly stopped, "Wh- what do you want?" she stammered, the man didn't answer, he lunged at her, grabbing her hair, she screamed, and he put his hand over her mouth, she bit it and he let go, kicking her in the back of the knee, causing her to fall to the floor, she scrambled for the bed, pulling the blanket off and knocking the lamp off of the night stand, it crashed to the ground, breaking, and the man grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her back, she grabbed the leg of the night stand and held on for dear life, but he pulled her and the night stand over, then picked her up, cradling her like a baby, and carrying her towards the door, she kicked at him, missing, but knocking the large mirror off the wall, it crashed to the floor as he carried her out the door, the crashing noises had brought the attention of Adam, who was sitting in his room down the hall, he poked his head out the door, and seeing the familiar blonde being carried away, he reacted, "Hey! Stop!" he yelled, running down the hall, Mercy heard the voice, and turned her head, "Addy! Help me!" she yelled, "Help me Addy!" Adam ran towards the man, as he got closer, the man turned and threw the lead pipe at him, hitting him in the head and knocking him down, and then the man, still carrying Mercy, disappeared through the emergency exit, once outside, he ran down the fire escape, still holding Mercy, and to the dark Grand Prix, throwing her into the backseat, and jumping into the passenger seat, "Go, Lydia,  go, go!" he yelled, the young brown-haired girl sitting in the drivers seat stepped on the gas as they sped out of the alley, "Daddy? What did you do?" she asked, looking at the man then back at the road, "Just what I said I'd do, I hit your mother where it hurts" he said, Mercy lay in the backseat, pretending to be unconscious, as she listened, "Who is that?!" the girl asked, the man looked at her, and in an cold voice said, "That's your sister"

Oooooohmegosh….Mercy has a sister? Paige has another daughter? Or is this just some random act? Give me 5 reviews, and you'll find out! And thanks to everyone whose reviewed so far, I love youuu!


	4. A Long Night

Haha, and here's where it gets confussling...so...they kidnaped Mercy...what is Paige going to do?

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*-*-* In the Hotel *-*-*

  
  


Adam sat up and looked around, he was gone, he took Mercy with him, who was it? Why did they take Mercy? Then it hit him, Paige and Jeff, he wondered for a few seconds before realizing that they were probably waiting for her in the lobby, he picked himself up off the floor and ran towards the elevators, despite the dizziness in his head from the pipe, he pushed the button, and when it didn't open immediately, he shot for the door to the stairs, running down all three flights and bursting out at the lobby, and running over to where Matt, Jeff, Amy, Leila, and Paige were standing, "Hey 'dam, have you seen Tigress?" Jeff asked, he could only nod and try not to cry, "She, she's...been..I mean someone..t...she's been kidnaped" he stammered, Paige shot to her feet, forgetting her headache, "WHAT?!" she screamed, breaking down and beginning to sob, "Where is she?!" she screamed, running to the stairs, leaving everyone standing there, still dumbfounded, before Jeff snapped back into reality and took off after Paige, followed by Matt, Amy, Leila, and Adam, when Jeff reached the third floor, he saw no Paige, he walked to the door, it was standing wide open, glass from the broken mirror was scattered at the entrance, the sheets were pulled off the bed and ripped at the edge, the remains of the lamp lay beside the overturned night stand, and Paige sat on the bed, sobbing heavily, she looked up at Jeff, her face already beginning to swell and her eyes were red with tears, "She's gone, Jeff" she cried, Jeff walked over and sat down beside her, "Not for long" he said, knowing they would find her, and soon, and he would kill whoever took her, he looked up at Matt and Amy, "Call the police" he said, Matt nodded and turned, going to Adam's room to use his phone, Amy walked over to the bed and sat down on the other side of Paige, "It'll be ok" she said, hugging her, Matt came back into the room, "The police are on their way, let's go to Adam's room" he said, taking Amy's hand and putting his arm around Paige and leading them out of the room..

  
  


*-*-* With Mercy *-*-*

"Come on! We have to get out of here before they start looking!" the man yelled to the young girl, who was throwing things into the suitcases, "Ok, ok" the girl said, "I'm going to buy tickets for a redeye flight, I'll be back in an hour tops, be ready" he said, slamming the door behind him, the brown headed girl walked to the bathroom door, hearing sobbing on the other side, she took the key and unlocked the door, the blonde girl was sitting in the empty bathtub, her hair was matted to her face with tears, her face swollen, "Wh-who are you?" Mercy stammered, "My name is Lydia, what's your name?" the brown haired girl, Lydia, asked, "M-...my name is Mercy" Mercy said, reaching up and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, "W-why are you d-doing this t-to me?" Mercy sniffled, "I have no idea, that's my dad, he says you're my sister," Lydia explained, "but I have no idea what he's talking about" she looked at the ground, "W- Where's your m-mom?" Mercy stuttered, calming down slightly, "My mom abandoned me and my dad when I was born" Lydia said, looking back up, "Wh-what is he going to d-do to me?" Mercy asked, Lydia turned away, tears filling her eyes, the girl had done nothing wrong, and she knew what her dad had planned for her, "I don't know" she said, regaining her composure and turning around, "I'd better go before he gets back, we're flying to Wisconsin tonight, all I can say, is don't do anything stupid" Lydia said, turning and walking out the door, locking it back, Mercy thought hard, her mother had never mentioned another child, and her mother certainly would've never abandoned her, her heart belonged to Jeff, and it always had, Mercy felt safe in that fact, knowing they would go to the ends of the earth to get her back, Jeff loved her, he would find her, Mercy took deep breaths to suppress the sobs, and soon had drifted off into a dark and unpleasant sleep..

  
  


*-*-* At The Police Station *-*-*

  
  


"No, I told you, he was wearing gloves, he threw the pipe at me, and it hit me in the head, I blacked out and , that's how my fingerprints got on the pipe" Adam explained for the millionth time to the uniformed police officers sitting beside him, "And you didn't see his face?" the male police officer asked, "No, I did not see his face, he was running away from me" Adam sighed, "Ok, that will be all, we're going to question Mrs. Hardy" the male officer said, shaking his head, "What?!" Adam jumped to his feet, "You can't!" both officers turned around, "And why not?" the female asked, "Because Mercy was the one thing in her life that seemed to make sense, she loves that kid more than anything else, and she just lost her, she's not in the right mind to answer your questions" Adam explained, "Well, that's very sweet, but it's normal questions" the male officer said, "What do you need to know? I can tell you" Adam offered, "No, we have to talk to her" the male officer sighed, Adam sighed as he watched the two officers walk out of the room, "Mrs. Hardy?" the male officer called, Paige sat up from her place on Jeff's shoulder and wiped the tears from her eyes, standing, she walked over to the door the two officers were standing at, Adam passed by them, hugging Paige close, "Adam, what am I going to do?" she whispered, "Just answer their questions, it'll be ok" Adam said, kissing her cheek, Paige smiled slightly, and walked into the room, the officers pointed to a seat and Paige sat down, "I am officer Kemp, and this is officer Regan" the female officer, Officer Kemp, said, "I know this is hard for you, Mrs. Hardy, but do you know of anyone who might want to hurt you or your daughter?" Officer Kemp asked, Paige knew in her heart exactly who had done it, but she couldn't tell them, if she told them then they would never find Mercy alive, to save her daughter she'd have to risk not finding her, Paige shook her head, "Ok, what is the child's full name?" Paige began to sob again, "Why?" she asked, "Because we can't send out search teams or any report her as missing for 72 hours, but we're pretty sure, since this seemed to be a criminal act, that she's not going to turn up, we're going to get her information so we can send it out when the time comes" Officer Regan said, Paige sniffed, "Alexiandra Mercedes Dukes, but she may go by the last name Hardy" she sighed, "Height, weight" Paige thought, "About 5'2 maybe, and about 100 pounds" she sniffed again, it was going to be a long night..

  
  


*-*-* With Mercy *-*-*

  
  


Mercy was jolted from her sleep by a small click, as her vision cleared, she recognized Lydia in the room with her, "C'mon, we're leaving, and remember, don't do anything stupid" Lydia said, "Ok" Mercy whispered, standing up and walking out of the bathroom, Lydia grabbed hold of Mercy's arm and led her out the door, "He's waiting in the car" she said, Mercy followed her down the stairs, and to the dark colored Grand Prix, "Get in the backseat" Lydia said, Mercy did as she was told, getting into the backseat as the man drove off, about 15 minutes later, they pulled up to an airport, "Now you shut up girl, you say a word, or motion to anyone, and I'll blow your head off" the man said in a cold tone, Mercy could only nod, she followed Lydia into the airport as the man looked at the tickets and tried to find the gate they were supposed to be at, it took what seemed like an eternity to Mercy before they found the right gate, and boarded the plane, "Not a word" he whispered to Mercy when they sat down on the plane, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat between the man and Lydia, it was going to be a long night..

  
  
  
  
  
  


Wanna know what happens to Mercy? 5 reviews...please? Then another chapter...I'll give you candy! ::holds out candy::


	5. You May Be My Father, But Jeff Is My Dad...

So..are they really taking away the wrestling section? Grr, and I won't be able to finish...but if you want the end to this one, you can e-mail me at SilverFox41988@aol.com and I'll send the chapters to you as I finish them, so..yeah...I guess this is goodbye, until I find another site to post on..

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*-*-*Next Morning-At the Hotel*-*-*

  
  


Paige opened her eyes and squinted against the morning light, she looked at Jeff's arms wrapped securely around her waist and the events of last night rushed back to her, thinking that maybe it was all a bad dream, she gently pried Jeff's hands from her and stood up, running into the room Mercy shared with Leila, and seeing both beds empty, she began to sob, laying on the bed Mercy had slept in, she breathed into the pillow, and sniffed her tears back as she heard footsteps coming into the room, it was Jeff, Paige sat up on the edge of the bed, "I thought maybe it was all a dream" she sighed, Jeff sat down beside her, Paige leaned her head onto his shoulder, "I want her here with me, Jeff, I want to hold her again" she said, barely understandable through her sobs, "I know, baby, we'll get her back" Jeff said, feeling tears sting his own eyes as he ran his fingers through Paige's hair, "Where's Leila?" Paige asked, wiping her tears again, "She slept with Matt and Amy last night" Jeff said, "So, what now?" Paige asked, "I don't know" Jeff looked down, "Neither do I" Paige sighed, she wondered where Mercy was right then, if she was hurt, or worse, she knew Aaron, and she knew what he would do to get revenge, Paige began to cry again, "Why us, Jeff? I thought you said nothing bad would happen again" she sobbed into Jeff's shoulder, "I know I did, I'm so sorry" he said, rubbing Paige's back in slow circles, soon, she was almost asleep again, Jeff laid her on Mercy's bed and left her to sleep, then he walked back into their room and sat on his bed, the tears fell silently as he struggled to wipe them away, "I'll find you, Tigress, don't worry, I'll find you" he whispered, looking up at the ceiling..

  
  


*-*-* With Mercy-Wisconsin*-*-*

  
  


"Where are we going?" Lydia asked her father, he didn't answer, "Ok..who is that girl?" she asked, looking back at Mercy, "Your sister" he said, "Daddy, I don't have a sister" Lydia said, "Yes you do" he nodded, "How?" Lydia asked, "After your mother abandoned us, we had a one night stand, and we had a little, accident" he said, looking at Mercy, "I was not an accident!" Mercy said, angered at the man, he took a turn onto a county gravel road, "Why are you doing this?" she suddenly got the nerve to speak, "Don't talk" he said through clenched jaw, "So-rry, if you're kidnaping me don't I have a right to know why?", silence filled the car, the only noise was from the sound of tiny bits of rock hitting the side of the car, and the crunch of tires against the gravel, "You know you'll never get away with this, Mom and Jeff will find you, and Jeff will kill you" Mercy said, "What makes you so sure they want you back? Why would Jeff want to find you, when you came into their lives it screwed everything up, maybe they're glad you're gone, maybe they don't want you back, face it kid, you were a mistake, you ruined everything they had, Jeff doesn't want you, neither does your Mom, just face it" he turned around, facing Mercy, a very serious expression on his face, she felt her eyes water, no, she wasn't going to cry, that's what he wanted, "Jeff will find me! He'd move heaven and hell for me, he said so! You may be my father, but Jeff is my daddy!" she said, wrinkling her nose and leaning towards him, he slammed on the breaks, and before Mercy could react, he drew back his hand and smacked her hard across the face, she jumped back, shocked as he got out of the car, "Daddy! No!" Lydia yelled as her father walked to the back passenger side, he grabbed another metal pipe laying in the floorboard, and hit her hard across the head, then slung her out of the car and into the ditch, hitting her over and over again with it, Lydia jumped out of the car, "Daddy! Stop! You'll kill her!" she screamed, "That's the point!" he yelled, hitting her twice more, Mercy held her breath, hoping he'd think she was dead, "Oh my God, dad, you killed her!" Lydia gasped, "Let's get out of here, c'mon!" she said, pulling him by his arm, one more blow to the head and he got in the car and they sped off down the road, Mercy still lay in the ditch, she could feel blood trickling down her face, but all she could think about was Paige and Jeff, her tears mixed with the blood as a black curtain lowered over her world, *this is gonna kill Mom and Jeff* was her last thought before she sunk into unconsciousness..

  
  


Aww...what a note to end on..poor Mercy...I watched Pearl Harbor the other day, and I can't get the movie out of my head, so I've, naturally, got to write about it before it will go away and leave me alone..so..yeah..e-mail me for the next chapter(s) ...and for you sceptics...the ending rocks...you'll never expect it...

  
  
  
  



	6. It Runs In The Family You Can't Get Rid ...

So...we still have the wrestling section? ::thinks really hard:: alright...so you all get to know what happens to good ole Mercy and Paige and Jeff and Matt and Amy and Leila, and you'll know even more after this horrible Pearl Harbor thing gets out of my head, I can't write anything for it, ughh...make it go away...anywayyyy...let's get this show on the road!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


*-*-*At the Hotel*-*-*

Paige was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, to say the least, they had, of course, gotten leave from work, and Vince was sending his private jet for them to fly back home, police combed the area, finding few clues, Paige was absentmindedly pacing the floor, tears freely flowing down her face while Jeff packed their things, every now and then stealing a worried glance at Paige, neither of them noticed Matt standing at the door, and he didn't have the heart to say anything, so he stood there, watching his brother and what may as well have been his baby sister, because that's how he felt about her, and seeing them both in so much pain tore at his heart, he knew that Jeff loved Mercy like a daughter, and he loved Paige more than life, Matt looked down and closed his eyes, it could've easily been Leila, that was the only thing he could think about, he felt the presence of Amy behind him and turned around, she stepped to him, burying her head in his chest, "What are we gonna do, Matt?" she half whispered, half sighed, Matt placed his chin gently on the top of her head, "We're going to get through his, Aimes, everything will be ok" he said, kissing her hair, "What about Paige? She...she's doing it again" Amy looked up at Matt, frowning, chewing her lip, "It's going to be ok" he said, closing his eyes and sighing, it was true, Paige was repeating the same destructive circle as before, and it scared them all, Matt put his arm around Amy and they turned to where Jeff and Paige were now sitting on the bed, Paige's head buried in Jeff's shoulder, he couldn't help but doubt his own self, was everything going to be ok this time? Or had their luck run out? Matt mentally shook his head, everything had to be alright...for all of their sake...

  
  


*-*-*With Mercy*-*-*

  
  


Mercy had been unconscious for 2 ½ hours when she woke up in a hospital, she looked around and groaned, drawing the attention of a man in white scrubs with short brown hair and glasses and a short woman with black hair down to her shoulders with streaks of grey here and there, "Hello young lady" the doctor said, "Where am I?" Mercy whimpered, "You're in St. Vincent Memorial Hospital in Portland, Wisconsin" the doctor said, "I'm where?" she sighed, "Do you know who you are?" the doctor asked, "Of course, my name is-" Mercy thought for a second, "My name is" she bit her lip, "I don't know my name"she said, looking up at the doctor, "Where do you live?" the doctor asked, "I live in-" tears came to Mercy's eyes, "I don't know where I live either! I don't remember anything!" she began to sob, "What's wrong with me?! I want to go home!!" she screamed, "There, there, calm down" the doctor said, "No! I will not calm down! I want to go home now!" Mercy screamed, "Calm down" the doctor said, picking up a needle and walking towards her with it, "If you don't stay down you're going to hurt yourself more" the woman said, "I'm...what?" Mercy asked, "You don't remember what happened?" the doctor asked, "What happened?" Mercy asked, and for the first time she felt the pain in her head, she reached up and touched her head, she felt gauze, "Oh my God! Where am I? What's wrong with me?!" she screamed, the doctor advanced with needle in hand, he stuck it into Mercy, and she screamed, "There, there, lay down" he said, gently guiding her down into the bed, "No, no, I want to go home" she said, softer this time, "No" she said, her eyes beginning to close, then with one last sigh, she fell asleep..

  
  


*-*-*At the Airport*-*-*

  
  


"You told McMahon not to say anything about her on TV, right?" Paige reassured, Jeff nodded, "He won't" he sighed, wondering why Paige wouldn't want her daughter's face to be on TV, if it meant getting her back, he was beginning to think that Paige knew more than she was letting on about Mercy's disappearance, they walked through the airport, hand in hand, Matt and Amy following close behind, "We're going home" Paige sighed, dropping herself into a seat to wait for the plane, Jeff sat beside her and she looked over to him, "Jeff, what are we going to do?" she asked, closing her eyes and squeezing them tight, draining the remaining tears, "I don't know, Paige, I just don't know"he said, wrapping his arms around her shaking body and looking up at the ceiling, searching for an answer he would never find..

  
  


*-*-* With Mercy *-*-*

Mercy woke up in a very tall, wooden bed, covered by a handmade quilt, she looked around, slowly sitting up, and noticing the bare wooden walls, she tried to remember how she got there, when it all suddenly rushed back to her with a wave of tears, she began to get out of the bed, when the lady she recognized from the hospital entered the room, her long, black hair now in a bun, carrying a mug of steaming liquid, "Woah, be still, get in bed" she ordered, walking over to the bed and sitting on the corner as Mercy climbed back in, "Wh..where am I?" she asked, sitting up in bed, "I'm Delilah, this is my house, I brought you here from the hospital, you have retrograde amnesia due to a blow to the back of the head" she said quickly, too quickly for Mercy to understand, "Huh?" she said, closing her eyes tightly to try and cure her headache, "Head hurt? I would think it would, after something like that I'm beginning to believe you have nine lives, here, drink this, it'll help you sleep" she said, Mercy took the steaming mug from Delilah's hands and sipped the aromatic liquid slowly, suddenly, her head began to spin, and she felt sick, she shut her eyes tightly, trying to stop the spinning room, she felt Delilah take the mug from her hands as she slowly lowered herself to the bed and drifted off to sleep..

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


I am 14 years old. I am not a doctor. I have never had amnesia. Anything in this, or any, chapter that has to do with medical stuff is a product of my imagination...I do know that retrograde amnesia is temporary (by temporary I mean it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years to get your memory back), and I've heard that you get your memory back piece by piece through little seizures (I learned it from Unsolved Mysteries) but then I made some other stuff up to make it more exciting...so...Mercy has NO idea who or where she is, so how will they ever find her?

  
  


Preview for the next chapter: Mercy has a vision, Delilah has a plan, and Paige has to confront what she left behind in Cameron, showing us that things are not always as they seem...


	7. Dreams

Hmm...long time no chap..long time no reviews...it makes me kinda sad, but that's ok...I guess...this one is kinda...short and uneventful, in the next one...all hell will break loose, in so many words...  
  
  
  
  
  


*-*-* On The Plane *-*-*

Jeff looked to his right, Paige's head was rested on his shoulder, she had finally fallen asleep, Jeff brushed the hair out of her face and gently kissed her forehead, he felt so helpless, he couldn't do anything to help her, and he wanted his Tigress back, he would get her back, then kill the person who took her away from him, he looked at Matt and Amy beside him, both were asleep, Leila in Matt's lap, he almost smiled through the tears in his eyes, they were so happy together, Jeff turned back to Paige, stroking her long, colorful hair gently, and pulling her closer to him, he wasn't going to lose her, he had almost lost her twice before, no way he was going to let her go, his thoughts sunk back to Mercy, Jeff had never been a very religious man, but at that very moment, he prayed to God that his Tigress would be alright, she had to be, he didn't know what he'd do if they never found her...or worse...Jeff looked out the window and at the lights from the city below, he assumed it was Raleigh, which meant they'd be home soon..  
  


*-*-* With Mercy *-*-*

Mercy sat up for the second time that night, looking around the dark room, she yawned and began to crawl out of the bed, her bare feet hitting the cold floor and making her shiver, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness before scanning the room for a door, she didn't know how she got there, or why she was there, or even who she was, but every instinct inside her told her to get out of that house, she finally spotted a door and on weak legs, she walked over to it, her bare feet making a soft shuffling noise against the hardwood floor, she stopped in front of the door and reached her small fingers out and touched the knob, it was cold, the feel of the cold metal sending a shiver up her spine, she tightened her grip and turned the knob, being careful not to make too much noise, then pulled the knob, slowly, cautious for what might wait on the other side, when she had the door open halfway, the peeked her head inside, darkness was all she could see, she let her eyes adjust to the new, darker darkness, and saw a line of clothes hanging inside, she reached against the wall and fumbled for the light switch, flipping it on, she sighed, it was a closet, turning to face the rest of the room, she searched the walls for another door, seeing it, she walked over to it, and this time more confident, opened the door, she found herself staring into a long hallway, at one end was darkness, the other end light, and straight across light shone from under a closed door, she stood there for a few more moments before she decided to go for the light, no sooner did she make this decision inside her head did the door across from her open, and out pranced Delilah she took one look at Mercy and smiled lopsidedly, "You feeling better?" she asked, taking a step closer to Mercy, who took a step back, "Hey, what's wrong?" Delilah asked, stepping closer, "Why am I here?" Mercy asked softly, "I'm going to take care of you until your memory comes back" Delilah said, stepping towards Mercy, who this time, stood still, "I want to go home" she sighed, looking down then back up, "but I don't know where home is" she realized, warm, salty tears beginning to from in the pits of her eyes, "Are you hungry?" Delilah asked, touching Mercy's arm gently, Mercy nodded, as did Delilah, "Let's go get something to eat, then" she smiled, placing her arm gingerly around the injured girl and leading her towards the light at the end of the hallway, passing by a couch, and a TV, at which point it felt like something hit Mercy square between the eyes, and the corner of her eyes began to go black, her head beginning to spin, she reached out for anything to grab hold of to keep her steady, which happened to be the couch, she grabbed the very edge of it, holding herself up with only her arms as her legs buckled beneath her, and she blacked out, shaking intensely, Delilah knew enough that she knew that she was having a seizer, and lay her on the floor, moving everything out of the way and watching her, waiting until the seizer subsided, and then lifting her to the couch, grabbing a towel and draping it across her sweltering forehead, sitting beside her until she came to, "Are you ok?" she asked softly, Mercy blinked and nodded, "I...I remember something....but...I'm not sure...not sure what" she stammered breathlessly, "Shh, just go to sleep" Delilah said, smiling gently, Mercy nodded weakly and closed her eyes, Delilah took a seat in the recliner across the room but in plain view of the couch where Mercy lay, watching as the young teenager drifted off into a well-deserved sleep...  
  


*-*Dream-Mercy's POV*-*  
  


The first thing I noticed were the lights, all around me, heating me up, I looked up at them they hurt my young eyes, I looked up and saw a woman, so familiar, my eyes lite up at the sight of her and a smile rolls across my face, "Amy!" I yelled, my voice sounding young and high-pitched, running to the auburn haired woman and jumping into her arms, behind her I saw a ring, possibly a boxing ring or something, but everything was a blur except for her face, but even it eventually faded away, and I felt a sudden longing to follow her, to find her, because I didn't want to be alone, but I was alone, standing under the harsh lights that hung overhead, so I ran forward, in search of this auburn haired woman that I loved, but I didn't get too far, because I began to fall, fall into an endless, black void from which there was no escape...  
  


Mercy jolted upright, she was still on the couch, sweat dripping from her matted blonde hair, Delilah, too, sat up from reading her paper with a start, "What's wrong?" she asked, alarmed, Mercy took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes, "I had a dream" she said, still shaken from the realness of the dream, "About what?" Delilah asked, sounding more concerned as she made her way towards Mercy, "I..I was little, and there was a lady, she was very pretty, she had pretty brown hair, but I can't remember her face, only her hair, and I felt so safe with her, and then she left, so I tried to follow her, but I started falling.." Mercy explained the vision to the best of her memory, "You don't remember who she was, maybe your mom?" Delilah asked hopefully, "Maybe" Mercy sighed, she knew inside that this lady wasn't her mom, but she was someone else close to her, if only she could remember the name she had called her in the dream, but she just couldn't remember, Delilah saw this struggling inside the small girl and smiled slightly, "You should get some sleep" she said, Mercy nodded softly and lay back down, closing her eyes with a sigh, Delilah smiled and went back to her chair, looking at the clock that now read 8:35, rather early to be sleeping, unless of course you had amnesia, she sat down and picked up her newspaper so she could be there if any more dreams came...  
  
  
  
  
  


::shrug:: I have the next chapter written...happy day...

Preview for next chapter: Paige and the 'gang' get to Cameron, and we learn that there are some things that aren't as they seem...


	8. Cameron

Sorry for the wait, guys…it took me a while to get both parts of this together…I think I'll call this the 'Chap 'O 1,000 Songs'…I hope it doesn't confuse you…this is the chap where Paige spills it about her past life…and I already have the next chap written…for real this time…it just needs to be edited…I think this makes sense…I hope so…as always, I love reviews!

The plane with Paige, Jeff, Matt, Amy, and Leila in it landed at 9:10 pm, 20 minutes early, the three drove the 30 minute drive to Cameron, and Matt, Amy, and Leila retired to the old Hardy house, Paige lingered for a long time on the front porch, suitcases in both hands, looking dreamily at the old white house beside it, Jeff walked up behind her and looked at her for a good five minutes, just taking the situation in, with a sigh he suddenly realized that things weren't going to get any easier, and it was time to face them, he approached Paige from the back and draped his arm around her shoulder, she jerked slightly at his touch, obviously too deep in thought to have noticed him behind her, she looked up at him like a lost little puppy, and then back at the house with a sigh, "Do you wanna go in?" he asked, she bit her lip and looked back up at him, he had to find out sooner or later, and she was leaning towards the former, finally with a deep breath she nodded, and set the bags down on the porch before rejoining Jeff and beginning the seemingly endless trek across the yard, Paige swallowed hard when she got to the first step, licked her lips, and took Jeff's hand before proceeding up the three stairs and onto the hardwood porch, she house had long since been abandoned, Paige's parents retreating to the warm climate of Florida, not that she cared, not after…

Paige shook the thought from her mind, she needed to have her wits about her, reaching out she jiggled the cold brass knob, it wasn't locked, no one locked their doors in Cameron, and even if there were burglars, everyone knew that Mr. Hardy kept a watch on the house, nothing worth stealing in there anyway, Paige soon found this out as she walked into the former living room, an unused fire place against the front wall, dust on the mantle, and in the center, an old worn out couch, covered by a white sheet-like thing, it, too, was dusty, the room stank of stale air, obviously the house hadn't been entered in years, Paige was the first to take a step inside, coughing slightly as the air disturbed and particles began to fly around the room, but all of this had a different meaning to Paige…

_When the visions around you,  
Bring tears to your eyes  
And all that surround you,  
Are secrets and lies  
  
_

Paige looked around the old house, the house she had grown up in, the house she had been kicked out of, and the house she had come back to in one last moment of desperation, she took a deep breath, suppressing the tears that were glazing her eyes, this place housed all of her memories, and the sight of it brought back the demons she thought she had buried long ago, looking over at Jeff, she couldn't help but feel bad, he didn't know half of her story, the lie she had been living before the rape, and the secrets she kept after.. 

_I'll be your strength,  
I'll give you hope,  
Keeping your faith when it's gone  
The one you should call,  
Was standing here all along..  
  
_

Jeff looked over at Paige, evident in her teary eyes was something more than an adult longing for the simplicities of life she remembered from her stay in the house, it was something much more, she was hiding something, but Jeff wouldn't ask her, no, he knew Paige, and she would tell him when the time was right, Paige turned to Jeff, their eyes locking for a split-second before she turned away quickly, not wanting Jeff to see the glimmer of anxiety hovering in her eyes, but it was too late, Paige knew Jeff saw it, she was almost sure he'd known it all along, silently she questioned herself, 'why didn't you tell Jeff in the first place? You turned to everyone and everything but the one person you knew could fix it all', it was true, there hadn't been a time that Jeff hadn't been there to support her, always telling her to reach higher, so why hadn't she told him?_  
  
_

_And I will take  
You in my arms  
And hold you right where you belong  
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you  
This I promise you  
  
_

Jeff put his arm around Paige's waist, Paige leaned her head on Jeff's shoulder, this was how it was meant to be, from the day they met, it was all leading up to this, standing in that house, together, with so much love, for each other, and for their daughter, Mercy, she was the task at hand, "We're gonna get her back, Paige, I promise you" Jeff had said the day after Mercy was gone, Paige trusted him, they would get their Tigress back.._  
  
_

_I've loved you forever,  
In lifetimes before  
And I promise you never...  
Will you hurt anymore  
  
_

Jeff loved Paige, he always had, like a sister, and now, more than that, he didn't know what life without Paige was anymore, he couldn't promise her much, but what he did was all he could, he had promised Paige that nothing bad would ever happen to her again, and he was doing all he could to make sure it didn't, one day things would be perfect, Paige knew it, but waiting for perfection was harder than it seemed..

_I give you my word  
I give you my heart,  
This is a battle we've won  
And with this vow,  
Forever has now begun...  
  
_

"Jeff, what are we going to do?" Paige asked, sitting down on the dusty old couch, "I don't know, but we'll figure something out" he said, sitting down beside her, Paige began to cry again, "I miss her Jeff, I want to hold her again, I want my baby back" she said, Jeff knelt down in front of Paige and took her hands in his, "Hey, Shh, it'll be alright" he said, running his thumb over her hand, "Promise me, Jeff, promise me that once this is over, nothing bad will happen, promise me that we'll be happy and together forever, promise me that" Paige sighed, looking into Jeff's eyes, he reached up and brushed a tear away with his thumb, "I promise"

_Just close your eyes   
Each loving day   
I know this feeling won't go away   
Till the day my life is through  
This I promise you..  
This I promise you..  
  
_

With an ever-so faint smile, Paige closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, "I love you Jeff, and I always will"

  
Over and over I fall   
When I hear you call  
Without you in my life baby  
I just wouldn't be living at all...  
  


Jeff thought back to the times he's almost lost her, the rape, the wreck, Mercy, baby Shane, suicide, that one hurt Jeff the most, seeing how close he had come to losing her, this made him realize how lucky he was to still have her, without Paige his life wouldn't be the same, there would be no sun, no color, no happiness, without Paige, life wouldn't be worth living..  
  
Every word I say is true  
This I promise you  
Ooh, I promise you...

He had told her so many times how he felt about her, and it was true, all of it, the promises he made, they were true, with a deep breath, Paige turned to Jeff, "We need to talk" she said slowly, closing her eyes and taking Jeff's hand into her own, she prepared herself for the hardest words she's ever have to say, "I…I haven't been completely honest with you" she sighed, "Before the rape…after you left…I...I found a guy…Aaron…and we got into a relationship, and I..I got pregnant…he wanted me to marry him…but…I…I couldn't…so…I looked to my father for help…"

**Flashback**

Papa I know you're going to be upset  
'Cause I was always your little girl  
But you should know by now  
I'm not a baby  
  
"Dad, I have something to tell you" Paige took a deep breath, "I know you're going to be disappointed and all that stuff, but I just want to say, that I can make things alright, I'm a big girl" she realized that she was beginning to ramble, so she prepared to get to the point, "Daddy, I'm pregnant" Frank jumped to his feet, "You're WHAT?!" he asked, his eyes wide, "I'm...pregnant" Paige repeated, looking down, "Paige Nicole Dukes (a/n: err...Paige...can I still say that?), what in the hell were you thinking?! You are 17 years old, and you don't have a job! How in the hell are you going to take care of a kid?!" he yelled, as tears overflowed Paige's eyes..  
  
You always taught me right from wrong  
I need your help, daddy please be strong  
I may be young at heart  
But I know what I'm saying  
  
"I don't know, daddy, I was hoping maybe you'd help me" she sobbed, "You are too young to be pregnant, you're not actually thinking about keeping this thing" he said, more of a statement than a question, "Daddy! I can't believe you! It.is.my.baby, and yes I'm keeping it!" Paige yelled, horrified at her father's thought, "You are 17, and still under my control, I say you are not keeping that disgrace against God!" he yelled back, Paige sat down, putting her head in her hands and sobbing, *I know what I'm talking about* she thought to herself, but would never say, to her father, "Who is the father?" he sighed, calming down slightly..  
  


The one you warned me all about  
The one you said I could do without  
We're in an awful mess, and I don't mean maybe - please  
Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep  
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh  
I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm...  
  


"Aaron" she said, lifting her head slightly, "Aaron?! Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?!" he began yelling again, Paige could only nod, "So, you dated this guy behind my back, I forbade you to see him, and now you're pregnant with his child and you come crawling back to me for help?" Paige nodded, sniffing back a few tears, "and what are you planning to do about it?" he asked..  
  
He says that he's going to marry me  
We can raise a little family  
Maybe we'll be all right  
It's a sacrifice  
  
Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deepPapa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh  
I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm...  
  
"He wants to get married," Paige said almost defeated, this was a last ditch effort to convince her father of her own maturity, "I'm sure we can make everything alright, with your help" Frank threw his arms into the air, "No, I will NOT have the public know that my daughter is a slut! Either you get rid of that thing inside you, or you go upstairs, pack your bags, and leave my house"  
  
Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep  
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep  
  
"Daddy! Please! I need you" Paige sighed, "The deal stands" her father showed no emotion as he turned his head to the side, Paige couldn't see for the tears in her eyes, but she could barely make out the stairs, she ran up them, threw everything she could carry into a single suitcase, and stormed towards the door..  
  
Oh, I'm gonna keep my baby, ooh  
Don't you stop loving me daddy  
I know, I'm keeping my baby  
I know, I'm keeping my baby  
I know, I'm keeping my baby  
  
Paige opened the door and stopped before she walked out, turned to her father, who was still stood in front of the couch, "I can't believe you would kick your own daughter out" Paige said, tears welling into her eyes again, then her father locked his blue eyes with her teary ones, "I don't have a daughter" he said in a voice so cold it froze Paige to the very existence of her soul, and she turned and walked out the door, slamming it, vowing to never return to this hell hole....and she didn't...

**End Flashback**

Paige reached up and dabbed another tear from her eye, then looked at Jeff, "He kicked me out of the house…so I lived with Aaron, I told him I'd marry him…then…I had the baby…a baby girl…she was beautiful Jeff…she had his brown hair and his brown eyes, but she looked exactly like me, Jeff…I named her Lydia Isis…and… I decided I couldn't marry him; I didn't love him, Jeff, I knew he wouldn't stand for it…so I….just…left…one night, I left Lydia and Aaron alone, I abandoned them…of course, this didn't set very well with Aaron…and since I couldn't go home…I was living on the streets…that's when I met Jamie, and she offered to let me live with her, in her apartment, and I did…we went clubbing a lot, I got involved with drugs and into abusive relationships…that's when Aaron began to stalk me, follow me around, I rarely saw him, but I could feel him watching me, I would see him out of the corner of my eye at the clubs, and then one night, I was with Jamie…and I had seen him in the bar with me…he had been talking to me, calling me, asking why I left him and Lydia, telling me that if I didn't come back to him, he was going to get me someday when I least expected it…and then, that night, I left my drink sitting on the bar, right there…and I walked away, so stupidly…and he drugged me…the only thing I remember is his face, the look of pure hatred on his face as he had his way with me, I couldn't move, I was paralyzed, the next thing I remember is waking up beside him, rolling over, and looking at his eyes, the look of pure satisfaction when he said, 'If you tell anyone, I'll get you again, I'm not finished with you yet' and so I walked out of that place and never looked back, never told a soul that I was 'raped', if that's even what you call it…and a few weeks ago…my old friend Danielle came to the door and told me that he was in town and he was looking for me…he took Mercy, I just know it…and I also know that I can't tell the police, or he'll kill her, he'll kill her if he sees anything about her on TV, or any flyers, I don't know what he's planning on doing, but I know that if we get the police too involved, she's as good as dead" Paige finished through sobs, Jeff sat in awe, a look of confusion stretched across his features as he hugged her close, "Paige, why didn't you tell me before?" he asked, looking into her eyes, her chin began to quake as she cried more, "I couldn't, Jeff, please understand that I couldn't, for Mercy's sake, for all of our safety" she sniffed, Jeff sighed, "So there's no way to get her back?" he asked, obviously on the brink of tears, Paige shook her head, "We just have to wait, if I know him, he..he's just..left her somewhere or something, I don't think he really wants to hurt her, he just wants to hurt me" she explained, Jeff nodded, tears still brimming his green eyes, "Let's go home, it's getting late" he whispered, placing his arm around her and leading her out the front door and across the lawn to the Hardy house that still stood next to it, sleep was the only alternative that anyone could think of…

…so? How was it? It took me a while to figure out exactly WHAT Paige's secret was…and I hope it wasn't too horribly dorky…I'm not sure if there are any, but any lose ends will be tied up by the end…pleeeeeeeease review!

Preview for Chapter 9:  Mercy gets frustrated with her amnesia and Paige takes it all in…(will be short…sorry)


	9. Not A Trace

Short chapter, sorry, the next chapter isn't written yet, I'm working on it, I'm working on it…I have a snow day tomorrow, so maybe I'll get it written then…I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to happen…I don't want it to be like '…and so then the found Mercy the end' or '…and then they never found Mercy but lived happily ever after anyway' because that is boring…so I'm thinking, any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated…so…yeah…on with it now!

*-*Next Morning—Mercy*-*

Mercy woke again to find herself laying on the couch that she must've fallen asleep on the night before, a welcoming aroma filled the air and Mercy sat up, careful not to bother her head, which had just stopped throbbing, she took a deep breath, wondering momentarily what the smell was until she heard the faint sizzle that could be none other than bacon and eggs, she licked her lips, something inside telling her that she hadn't had that in a while, she stood gently, making sure that her head didn't being to spin, then tiptoed into the kitchen, cocking her head at the older lady cooking it, as if sensing Mercy's presence, the woman turned around and upon seeing Mercy, smiled, "Hey there sleepyhead, you hungry?" she asked, Mercy nodded, "No more visions?" Delilah asked, Mercy looked down and shook her head, "It's ok, little one, the doctor says it will take time" Delilah said, Mercy nodded and yawned, Delilah smiled, turning back to their breakfast and using her spatula to put some of the bacon and eggs onto a plate and placing it on the table in front of Mercy, who smiled and began pushing the food around on her plate with the backside of her fork, she ate enough to fill her stomach and then sighed, she really wanted to go home, "Delilah, isn't there any way to speed up the process, so I can get my memory back quicker?" she asked finally, Delilah looked up from her food, a pained expression flashing across her face, "I'm afraid not, sweetheart" she smiled weakly before returning to her meal, "Is…is it ok if I go and watch some TV?" Mercy asked, Delilah smiled fully this time, "Of course, the remote is beside the recliner" she said, Mercy lifted herself to her feet and carefully padded back into the living room, quickly flipping through the channels and catching bits and pieces of the conversations on them, NBC, CBS, Fox, Sci-Fi, The Weather Channel, TV Guide, MTV, CNN, she paused briefly on the latter, only for a moment to see if there was any word on a missing teenage girl, about 5'3 with champagne blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes, no such luck, it wouldn't be that easy, she sighed and felt her muscles relax as a wave of drowsiness swept over her, she assumed it would take the medication a while to ware completely off and with this thought, she allowed herself to slip into the blackness of unconsciousness, she wouldn't dream much, if any, in this drug-induced state of sleep, and she took subconscious comfort in knowing this…

(a/n…yesss…a whole day passed…::shrug:: just read? And don't hurt me too badly…)

*Back in Cameron—night*

Paige lay awake in bed, no sleep would come, she wondered briefly if Jeff was awake beside her, but knowing he probably had just as much trouble sleeping as she was having getting to sleep, she didn't bother to wake him, she had had no time to be alone in the past 24 hours, and she was rather enjoying this time, while at the same time despising it, it gave her time to think, and this was both a curse and a blessing, the wondering was eating away at her soul, wondering if her precious Mercy was alive or hurt, wondering if she herself could've done anything to stop it, it ate away at her *I should have never let her go upstairs alone, it's me he's after, not her* Paige was taking short, sharp breaths by now, laying on her side facing the window and letting the tears drain out of the corners of her eyes, she struggled to control her erratic breathing to no avail, when a sudden wave of nausea overcame her and she softly came to her feet, looking back at Jeff, he looked peaceful, but she knew on the inside of that placid face was a storm churning, she had to close her eyes to drain the tears before she could see to continue, even though she would know her way around that house even in the pitch black of night with her vision blurred with tears, then, being careful not to wake anyone sleeping in the adjacent rooms, she padded to the bathroom down the hall, going in and locking the door behind her, she grabbed the sink, leaning heavily on it, trying to collect all of her thoughts, she was so troubled by the events of the past few day, troubled that something (or someone) she thought she had buried in the past so long ago had come back, and took her life in his hands by kidnapping Mercy, an innocent girl who could be charged only with her lineage, and she wasn't sure that things could ever be the same again, because obviously the mistakes she made more than 15 years ago were going to haunt her for the rest of her life, all of this was conveyed in a matter of seconds through her sapphire eyes and simple facial expressions, Paige whipped her head toward the door, paranoid that someone may be listening to her labored breath, or that she didn't lock the door and someone may be watching, exhaling a shaky breath she didn't even know she was holding, she turned back to the sink, turning on the water and splashing it on her face, looking up at herself through the streaks of water running down her face, she sighed deeply, 

*You're losing it, Paige, you have to pull yourself together* 

nodding in her own self assurance, she turned back to the door, she didn't even take a step before the nausea overtook her, she turned back, grabbing onto the sink for support before retching violently into it…

 *I'm not ok*

Eh…so that was my attempt at drama…the last part with Paige in it, I wrote it late one night and I dunno if it makes much sense to you people…of course I know what I mean, but do you know what I mean? And any present tenses left in the last part, I apologize…but pleaseeee review!


	10. Clementia Invenit Mercy is Found

Long wait, huh? Well...this is kinda rushed, I'm a very busy person these days, so it won't be as wonderful as you thought...sorry everyone...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It had been a week..

  
  


Mercy fell into a routine, wake up, eat, watch TV, eat, watch TV, eat, go to sleep. It seemed boring, but not to Mercy. She was sure that this depressed state she was in was not like her old self...if only she could remember her old self, she didn't want to eat, she didn't even want to move, but Delilah made her do both, 'sadness weakens the body's ability to heal' was her excuse, by now, Mercy was almost positive that her parent's weren't looking for her too hard, or else there would be something, anything, on the TV. But there wasn't. She had been back to the doctor and he had said that the swelling was going down. Her memory could be back any day. Suddenly, Mercy wasn't sure her parent's even wanted her in the first place...

  
  
  
  


It had been a week.

  
  


Paige would barely get out of bed, and would only eat enough to keep her alive, she thought that after a few days the feeling of loss and emptiness would slacken so that she could at least function properly, and try to get her baby girl back, but it had only gotten worse, and now she found herself laying, not in Jeff's room, where she had spent the first three nights, but in the same room she had confined herself to after she lost baby Shane, the same room she almost committed suicide in, and now...she was there again, the same routine, the same thing as before...Jeff could see it, he saw it in her eyes when he managed to coax her down to eat something, and in her gait when she sauntered to and from the bathroom, and in the smile she forced when she would tell him that she was ok, but Jeff knew better, he knew that Paige was feeling the torture he was and 10 times worse, Mercy was like his daughter too, and he wanted to kill whoever had taken her, both because they had taken her, and that in taking her they had destroyed Paige, just when she had gotten back to normal, this happened, but right now, his focus was on Tigress and getting her back safe and sound, and that was the only thing that mattered...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Mercy sat on her bed, gazing out the window behind her, watching the little streaks of water running down it, the rain outside was enough to make her sadder than usual...she was so confused, all of this, everything, it was so confusing, it tore at her soul, not knowing who you were or where you belong, all she wanted was to be loved, that's all she wanted in the world, at first she was sure that her parents would find her quickly, but as hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, she wasn't so sure anymore...

  
  


Paige sat alone in her room, again, just like she had for the past week, she could hear the bustle downstairs, everyone was trying to get on with their lives as much as possible, but not Paige, she couldn't think of anything but Mercy, her only child, she wanted her back, with a sigh, Paige rolled over to look out the window, it was still raining, she watched the raindrops as they pelted down on the carport outside her window, the combination of the raindrops on the roof and the roll of distant thunder was enough to put Paige to sleep in a matter of minutes...

**2 Days Later**

  
  


Mercy ran her fingers over the gleaming blue cover of the small journal Delilah had gotten her last time she went into town, the doctor said that it was a good exercise for her mind, it might even make her memory come back quicker, she flipped through the crisp pages, some of which already had her large handwriting on them, she picked up the purple pen at her side and lifted it, ready to put it to paper, but with a sigh, she put the pen down and stretched out in the recliner, looking down, a glint of red caught her eye, it was the dark ruby that hang on a chain of gold around her neck, they had taken it off of her at the hospital when she was found, and Delilah had forgotten about it until a few days prior, it was a dark scarlet color, Delilah had concluded that it would have been very expensive, seeing as it was both real and a dark red, with thoughtful look she lifted it into her hand, "What have you seen that I haven't? What do you know that I don't? You're the only thing who knows my past," she sighed at herself, "Look at yourself, kid, you're talking to a necklace" Mercy pulled herself to her feet, standing wobbly she took a breath to settle her head, she took a step and dizziness overtook her, she crumbled to the ground, grabbing the bed for support but only succeeding in pulling the blanket off of the bed, she fell to the floor with a loud thump which caused Delilah to come running, but Mercy was already out of it, Delilah could do nothing but watch as the teenage girl shook violently on the floor, the seizure lasted for a full 5 minutes before Mercy awoke to Delilah kneeling beside her, the teenager first grasped her head with both hands and then tried to sit up, "No, no, stay down" Delilah said, pushing Mercy gently to the hardwood floor, Mercy's scared eyes searched the room frantically, "Where am I?" she asked, taking a few deep breaths, "Little one, it's me, Delilah" Mercy took one last breath as she came to the sudden realization, "Delilah" she sighed and then thought for another moment, "Deli, I remember" she said, "I remember my name" she repeated, "You do?! Well what is it?" Delilah asked, ecstatic at the memory, "Mercy," Mercy said, "Alexiandra Mercedes Hardy" Mercy had the largest smile on her face as she sat up, "Let's get you to the hospital, they'll find your parents" Delilah said, grabbing Mercy's arm and helping her up and to the car, a large smile plastered across Mercy's face, it was all coming back to her, bit by bit, memory by memory, it was all there, as they drove along, Delilah was like a curious child, "What are your parent's names?" she asked, Mercy thought a moment and then spoke "Paige and Jeff Hardy" she smiled, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked, "No, but I have a cousin, her name is Leila" Delilah smiled and kept talking, just in case something happened and Mercy forgot all over again, this kept going until the moment they pulled into the hospital parking lot and raced into the emergency room, neither noticing their soaked bodies until Mercy nearly slipped in a pool of water created from her own dripping pants, luckily Delilah was there, holding her up by the arm as she yelled for Dr. Knight, the doctor that took care of Mercy the first time, a woman in light purple scrubs rushed out from behind the desk with wide eyes, "Ma'am, what's wrong?" she asked, looking at the two for a moment, "I have to talk to Dr. Knight" Delilah said, "Alright, alright, come on back" she said, leading them down a hallway and into a room, she picked up two blankets and wrapped them around the two's shoulders, "Dr. Knight will be here in a moment" she said, Mercy sat on the examination table, swinging her legs back and forth nervously until Dr. Knight ran into the room about 10 minutes later, stethoscope drawn, ready for a major emergency, when he saw the sopping wet blonde and the woman he knew from doctors visits, his heart nearly dropped, "What's wrong?" he asked, fearing that something was horribly wrong with the girl, "Nothing, I can remember" Mercy smiled, he looked around for a flashlight before walking to Mercy and shining the flashlight in her eyes, he made a 'hmm' sound before stepping back and nodding, "Your pupils are reacting more that they have been, I'd like to order a CAT scan" he said, looking at Delilah, "Can I call my mom?" Mercy asked, Dr. Knight thought for a moment, "Alright, but you still have to get the scan, be quick" he said, walking to the wall and motioning to a phone, "Dial 9 to get out, I'll leave you alone" Dr. Knight said, then exiting, Mercy jumped off of the table and walked to the phone as calmly as possible, thought for a moment, and with shaky fingers, dialed Jeff's cell phone number, and listened as it rang, once, twice, three times, and then a voice, "Hello?" it was Jeff,

"J..Jeff?", she didn't mean for her voice to shake

"...who is this?", Jeff was confused

"Jeff, it's me", Mercy felt more confident

"Mercy?", if it was possible, he sounded excited, scared, and suspicious all at the same time

"Yeah", that was all Mercy could manage before the tears began to roll

"Oh my god! Where are you?! Are you ok? Who are you with? Are you hurt? What happened?", Jeff was excited and worried

"I'm fine, Jeff, I'm in Wisconsin, and I'll be on the next plane to...wherever you are", Mercy smiled through the tears at Jeff's voice,

"We're in Cameron" Jeff said

"Can I talk to mom?" Mercy asked,

"Hold on, let me get her" and silence

"Hello?", Paige sounded excited

"Mom?" Mercy said

"My baby" Paige smiled, instantly feeling so much better...

Mercy and Paige talked on the phone for a good hour, until the Tech came to get her for her CAT scan,

"Mom, I've gotta go now, I'll be on the next plane, I love you and I've missed you, tell everyone I'll see them soon"

"I will baby, I love you too, bye bye"

Mercy hung up the phone and sat in the wheelchair while the Tech wheeled her down the hall, a satisfied smile on her face, in a matter of hours her world had been turned from upside down to right again, and soon she would be home, exactly where she wanted to be...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


mmkay, I have the rest completely written and I think that I will post it tomorrow or the next day, only 2 more chapters...sorry it wasn't as amazing as I played it up to be...

  
  


Preview for chapter 11: the aftermath, how are things after Mercy gets home?


	11. Coming Home

This is really short, but I need to get it out of the way for new chapters, so that it won't be so long, mmkay, I'll post the end as early as tonight, and there are 2 endings for this one, count 'em, t.w.o. an ending and an alternate ending, both I think are incredible ways to end this trilogy...but enough blabber, read on...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Mercy stepped off of the plane in Raleigh with Delilah behind her, she scanned the crowd of people for any sign of the people she recognized as her family, but she was cut short in her gaze by someone tapping her on the shoulder, figuring it was Jeff, or someone else, she spun with a large smile on her face, to meet eyes with an equally surprised group of teenagers, "It IS her!" the blonde one said excitedly, then turning back to Mercy, "You're Mercy Hardy!" she said, "So I am" Mercy smiled halfheartedly, she loved fans of Jeff, Matt, Amy, and her mom, but right now she wanted to see them, not fans, "Wow" was all the leader of the group could say, "I'm really sorry, but I have to go...meet someone" Mercy said, smiling before turning to walk away, and running into someone, backing up, she sighed and mumbled her apologies, hoping that they wouldn't recognize her, but the person put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up into a pair of equally emerald eyes, she blinked, and then threw her arms around Jeff, tears coming to her eyes, "Jeff! I missed you...I think" she said as he kissed the top of her head, "You have no idea how much we missed you, we were so worried" Jeff said, Mercy turned to Delilah, "Jeff, I'd like you to meet someone, this is Delilah, she rescued me and kept me until I got my memory back" Mercy said, looking at Delilah's shy smiling face, "Thank you" Jeff said, touching Delilah's shoulder tenderly, "Where's Mom?" Mercy asked, looking up and around, as if on cue, a voice rang out from behind Jeff, "My baby!" it was Paige, with Matt, Amy, and Leila in tow, Paige ran to her daughter and threw her arms around her, Mercy looked at her mom, she had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes were sunken and haunted looking, she didn't remember the last time her mom looked so...drained and lifeless, but she put those feelings aside as she introduced Delilah to the rest of her family, and there were plenty of hugs and tears on that day, the rain stopped on that April day, a few stray drops falling from the sky and the puddles left in the mud were the only reminders that the rain had ever been, and so with Paige, the only reminders of the storm that had taken place inside of her was her slightly slimmer body and the haunted tint in her sapphire eyes, but Jeff could see the twinkle coming back, deep inside the depths of her pupils, there was a twinkle coming out, and Mercy was home, soon Paige would be back to her old self, and everything would be fine again... 

  
  
  
  


A/N: mmkay, next chapter commmming up


	12. The Beginning of the End

Mmkay, this was written a long while ago, when there was still a Team Extreme and all…so bear with me on that…enjoy…and read the authors note at the bottom, and it'll explain everything…

*3 months later*

Jeff pulled open the curtains of the hotel room, letting the light stream in, then softly sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning down and kissing the sleeping form's temple and brushing the blonde hair out of her face, Paige's eyes fluttered open, and she was greeted by a soft kiss on the lips, when Jeff pulled back, Paige's lips curved into a smile, and she sighed in contentment, "Morning, beautiful" Jeff whispered into her ear, Paige closed her eyes, just drinking in the moment, it was so perfect, she rolled over onto her back, leaving Jeff propped up with an arm on either side of her, she leaned up for another quick kiss, and began for a deeper one when heavy, running footsteps erupted from the other room, and a cry of "Mother!" was heard, Paige dropped her head back down onto her pillow with a sigh as Mercy ran into the room, "Mom, I-" she began, but, seeing the position of her mother and Jeff, her eyes widened and she turned on her heels and walked out of the room with a "Er…sorry", Paige smiled, "Must be time to get up" she whispered, sitting up and pushing Jeff off her lap, "I'm hungry" Jeff said with a sigh, "Me too, where shall we eat this morning?" Paige asked, with a heart-melting smile, "I don't care, why don't you ask the Tigress, she'll get her way anyhow" he smiled playfully, "Poor Jeff" Paige rolled her eyes, Jeff got off of Paige and sat down on the edge of the bed, as did Paige, suddenly the door swung open and Leila walked in, rubbing her eyes sleepily, "Leila!" Paige smiled happily, "come see me!" Paige held her arms out for the little girl to run into, Leila jumped onto Paige's lap, "I hungy" she yawned, "We're going to get breakfast in a few minutes baby, go get your mom and dad up for us" Jeff said, kissing his niece's forehead and putting her on the floor, where she began walking towards Matt and Amy's room, "Tonight's the big ladder match, huh?" Paige sighed, "Yeah, but please don't worry about me Paige, I'll be fine, I always am, aren't I?" Jeff said, Paige turned her eyes heavenward and a slight smile played across her lips, "Yeah, but I want you to be careful, you never know what might be waiting for you after the match" a devious smile spread across Paige's angelic face for the first time in a while, after Matt and Jeff won the titles she was going to tell him she was pregnant with his child, Jeff got up, removing his hand from Paige's leg with a playful smack, "Well,_ I'm_ going to get something to eat, care to join?" Jeff said, walking into Matt and Amy's room, Paige sat there on the bed, closing her eyes to better feel the sun warming her forehead, she inhaled deeply, and a smile curved her lips, "No, nothing can go wrong now" she whispered, too low for anyone to hear her, she opened her eyes and looked down at her stomach, placing her hands lovingly on her abdomen, it growled quietly, and Paige laughed a little, "Yeah, yeah, we're going to eat" she said before getting up and following Jeff's path into Matt and Amy's room…

*Later*

"Amy, I will be careful, I promise, nothing can happen" Paige said, flipping her multicolored hair in the sunlight, she and Amy were shopping on the strip, stopping to sign autographs every now and then for fans, "Yeah, well, I don't mean to bring up the past, but isn't that what you said last time?" Amy asked, sympathetically looking at Paige, who looked up into the sky and bit her lip, "That was an accident, one that won't repeat itself" she said, "I'm sorry I brought it up, I know it was hard for you" Amy said, stopping and giving Paige a caring hug, "Yeah…it's ok…plus…it's been 8 years, it's the past" Paige forced a smile, "Please, Amy, don't worry about me" she said, Amy draped her arm around Paige's shoulder, "I have to, kiddo, it's my job" she smiled..

*At the Hotel*

The sun shone down brightly on the blue waters of the hotel pool, causing the small ripples to glisten like a rainbow, Mercy lay on a bright green chair beside the pool, the sun baking her already golden skin, "You know who you remind me of?" a voice startled Mercy and caused her to jolt upright, through the bluish tint of her sunglasses, she saw Jeff coming through the gate that surrounded the pool, "Jesus, Jeff, you scared me to death" she sighed, "Sorry, Tigress" he said, sitting down in a chair beside her, "You know who you remind me of?" he asked again, Mercy shook her head, "Your mother when she was your age" he said, "Gee, thanks" Mercy joked, smiling over at him, "Really, you do…" he said, Mercy lifted her blue sunglasses to her forehead, "Ok, spill it, what do you want?" she asked, Jeff smiled "Nothing" he said, Mercy shook her head, "You're worried about the ladder match tonight, but mostly…you're worried about mom" she said, the words gliding off her tongue as if she knew Jeff's deepest thoughts, he raised his eyebrows and eyed the teenager, "How'd you know?" he asked, dumbfounded, Mercy shrugged smoothly, pushing her glasses over her eyes and laying down again with a simple, "I can see it in your eyes" Jeff laughed, Mercy continued, "Under normal circumstances, I'd tell you everything was going to be fine, but I have a bad feeling about that match…please be careful", she said, looking over and locking eyes with Jeff, "please?" she pleaded, Jeff faked a smile, "I will, Merc" Jeff stood up and began to walk towards the gate, but stopped suddenly and turned around, "Hey Tigress?" he said, Mercy looked up, "I love you" he said, "I love you too, Jeff" she smiled and stood up, walked over to Jeff, and gave him a hug, "Let's go get some lunch, k?" she suggested, Jeff draped his arm around her shoulder, "Sounds good" he said as they walked across the parking lot towards the hotel, Mercy tried to put the uneasy feeling about the match into the back of her mind, but something told her that that night was going to change all of their lives forever… 

*That Night*

Mercy paced the Team Extreme locker room, breathing deeply, trying to calm herself down, she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong, but what was wrong, was it Matt, was it Amy, was something wrong with Jeff, or maybe her mom, but that didn't matter, something inside her said that the match wasn't supposed to happen, she needed- "Alexiandra Mercedes, sit down!" Paige interrupted her thoughts, Mercy sighed and plopped down beside her mother on the couch, and began to shake her leg out of nervousness, after about 5 minutes, Paige laid a firm hand on Mercy's leg, "Stop." She said sternly, Mercy sighed, "Where are Matt and Jeff?" Mercy asked, "I don't know" Paige said, "What about Amy and Leila?" she asked, Paige closed her eyes and sighed, "Mercy. I don't know. Why don't you go find them?" Paige suggested, Mercy stood and walked to the door, and was about to open it when it opened from the other side, almost slamming her in the face, in walked Matt, Jeff, Amy, and Leila, Leila held securely in Matt's arms, Amy walked past them and over to Paige, "C'mon girl, we're up" she said, winking slightly, Mercy looked up at Jeff, "Please, be careful" she said, Jeff smiled, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead, "I will" he said, giving her a quick hug, "You too, Matt" she said, turning to Matt, Matt reached down and touched her nose, "I will, kiddo" he smiled, Amy and Paige walked by next, "Amy, watch them, make sure they stay out of trouble" Mercy winked, "Sure thing, Tigga" Amy said, "Mom, be careful" she said, looking up at her mother, Paige smiled weakly, "Don't worry about me, baby" Mercy sighed as the four walked out the door, the feeling of anxiety building in her system as the Hardyz music hit, she sat on the couch beside Leila, and watched the TV screen…

*Few Minutes Later*

"And he's going up! Jeff Hardy is going to the top of the ladder!" Paige heard one of the announcers yell, he couldn't seriously be doing this, the ladder was almost 30 feet tall, Paige closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer, and listened to the crowd roaring around her, she slightly parted on eyelid, seeing Matt standing near the ladder, and Jeff on top, she closed her eyes again, but couldn't bear not to look, so she pried her right eye open with all the will power she had left, just in time to see Jeff loose his balance, and fall from 30 feet up, it all seemed to move in slow motion, Jeff falling to the hard, black floor under him, the sickening crack that echoed through the arena, and the dead silence of the fans, Paige wanted to scream, to run to him, show herself he was ok, but her body was frozen in shock, seconds passed, and Matt yelled "Oh my god!", that's what snapped Paige out of her frozen state, never had she run so fast, "Jeff!" her voice seemed to echo in the eerie silence, tears began to stream down her face as she fell to her knees beside Jeff, "Jeff! Jeff! Wake up! Please Jeff!" she sobbed, shaking Jeff's lifeless body, "Please don't leave me baby, please!" she sobbed and collapsed on top of his lifeless body, "You're gonna be a daddy, Jeff, you have to be ok, you're going to be a daddy, and we're going to live happily ever after, just like you said" she whispered, tears still pouring from her eyes as the medics pulled her away, she turned and fell into Matt's arms, "No, no, no, he's gonna be ok, right Matt? He'll be fine" she sobbed into Matt's chest, "Paige, babe, he's gone, it's gonna be ok though, we'll get through this, I promise" Matt began to cry into Paige's hair, Paige pulled away, "No! Where are they going? What are they doing?" she screamed, darting away and towards the medics that were carrying Jeff's body up the ramp, Matt reached out and grabbed her, pulling her close again, "It's ok, everything will be ok" Matt choked on his tears as Paige crumbled to the ground, life for her was over, everything important in life was gone, baby Shane, Jeff, everything was gone, Paige felt her heart seemingly melting into nothingness, *Why is God so cruel to me?!* She screamed inside her head, looking up at the arena ceiling through tear blurred eyes, "Everything's going to be ok" Matt whispered again, rocking back and froth under her, but Paige knew it would never be the same without Jeff, it wouldn't be ok, never, she looked up as Amy came running down the ramp, Mercy at her side, Paige took one look into Mercy's emerald green eyes, and knew life would never be the same again…

A/N: and this is where the endings split, I'd suggest you read both endings, since I can't put the titles of the chapter in there to give them away, I think they're both good, so read and tell me what you think…and I guess this is where I leave you…it's been a good 2 years since I began Melt the Rain, and a lot has happened, I really appreciate all of you loyal readers, because without you, I cease to exist…all writers depend on their fans for inspiration, and I really do appreciate you all for sticking with me…so choose your fate…then read the second one, thank you, and goodnight…


	13. Epilogue 1

No more Author's notes, because you don't want to read those right now…

*Epilogue—Life After Jeff*

Six months after Jeff's death, Paige gave birth to a healthy baby boy, and named him Jeffrey Ian Hardy, in memory of the father he would never meet; with his blonde hair and dancing green eyes, he was the very mirror image of Jeff. After Jeff died, Paige dealt with severe and chronic depression, and two attempts at suicide, before she finally sought psychiatric help, and began to get better, she never returned to the ring, but still traveled with Matt and Amy, to help look after Leila, and, plus, Matt, Amy, Leila, and Mercy were the only things she had left in the world, she couldn't leave them, not after all that had happened, Mercy was becoming a beautiful 15 year old, her deep, thoughtful green eyes a constant reminder of Jeff's presence within them all, she carried on the legacy of her mother and Jeff, who, as she had said herself, may not be her father, but he was her daddy,  she was well on her way to becoming a professional wrestler, and that was all she wanted in life, using Jeff as her inspiration and guardian angel, she could fly higher than most of the already established wrestlers, bearing Jeff's HB necklace as a reminder to always be extreme, as for Matt, he took his brother's death hard, and was out of the ring for 6 months, staying with Paige until she gave birth, and in seeing the baby's resemblance to his brother, he went on with his life's pursuit, WWF gold, but the fire that had once burned in his eyes was only half there, because his brother was gone, but his memory lived on in the hearts and minds of those he had loved, and those who loved him, Jeffrey Nero Hardy, one half of the Hardy Boys, loving friend and makeshift daddy, yes, Jeff would always be remembered and loved, because you know what they say, the extreme always make an impression…


	14. The Alternate Ending

…and…the alternate ending…

*Epilogue—Waking Up*

_Thump! _Paige's eyes shot open; she reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes, _Thud!_

Another noise, she knew she heard it this time, and sat straight up in bed, the first thought in her head 'Where am I? This isn't the hotel room, where's Amy and Mercy and Matt?', Paige took one look in the mirror and gasped, her hair wasn't fiery red, orange, and yellow, it was platinum blonde, and she was in her room, her memory slowly came back to her, *It was a dream…*, she thought, realizing she was 15 again. _Thud!_ Another rock hit her window; she threw the covers off of her and, still in a daze from the very vivid dream, walked over to the window, Jeff was at the bottom, in her driveway, his hair short and blonde, not long and blue, she opened the window, "Jeez Paige! You sleep like the dead ya know!" he said, Paige cringed at the word 'dead', "What do you want Rainbow?" Paige yelled down, biting her lip when she realized that Jeff wasn't 'Rainbow' anymore, "Rainbow? Well, Matt offered to let me drive us to our match, he's got his license now ya know" Jeff said, "Ok, I'll be right down, Nero" Paige smiled and threw some clothes on, brushed her hair, and flew down the stairs, grabbing some money on the way out the door, and meeting Jeff at her front door, they walked towards the Hardy house side-by-side, "Are you sure it's safe to ride with him?" Paige asked, Jeff looked at her "I hope so" he smiled, Paige looked around as they approached the red, beaten up car she knew as Matt's, "Hey, Paige, do you think we'll ever make it to the big time?" Jeff asked suddenly, "You mean the WWF?" Paige asked, knowing what he meant, but surprised at a new revelation, maybe that wasn't a dream at all…. maybe it was a look into the future…*only not so…depressing* Paige smiled at the thought, then turned to Jeff, "We will, Jeff, I know we will"

A/N: did you like my endings? What a way to go out…I'd like feedback, be it reviews or e-mails, Silverfox41988@aol.com refer back to the A/N at the end of chapter 12…


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